Has it already been two weeks since I last blogged? Seems like only yesterday… Although the time before mid-March seems long ago and far away. Hope you’re all well and staying safe. I’m writing this … Read more “Sunday Times Cryptic 4899, by Robert Price — On the (short)wavelength”
Month: April 2020
Times Cryptic No 27642 – Saturday, 18 April 2020. Mediterranean Gothic Crossroads.
This was something of a battle. I enjoyed the challenge, except perhaps when I stalled over my last two outstanding, the Mediterranean 14ac and the Gothic 4dn. If I’d known the shared letter where they … Read more “Times Cryptic No 27642 – Saturday, 18 April 2020. Mediterranean Gothic Crossroads.”
Jumbo 1433
I don’t have much to add to the blog – a normal Saturday Jumbo. I might quibble with the definition in 22D and had to check the solution to 31D. I would probably have to … Read more “Jumbo 1433”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1599 by Mara
A lovely quickie from Mara today, mostly quite straightforward, I thought, although the SE corner held me up a little. It wouldn’t surprise me, though, if others didn’t find it very easy as one or … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1599 by Mara”
Times 27,647: Poe Pourri
Not very Fridayish this one, with a bit of a pared-down Cryptic Jumbo feel to it, but I did appreciate it a bit more after writing up the parsings – there are some mischievous definition … Read more “Times 27,647: Poe Pourri”
Times Quick Cryptic No 1598 by Oink
A middling-difficulty puzzle from Oink that I managed two minutes under target. I found this good quality and fun when solving but a couple of the clues look a bit shaky on closer inspection (I’m … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic No 1598 by Oink”
27646 Thursday, 23 April 2020 Cry God for Harry, England and St George….and Shakespeare
A step up from the week’s earlier offerings, this one pushed me hard for 27’ 44” of lockdown, nothing much else to do time. I am expecting quite a few blank looks around the place, … Read more “27646 Thursday, 23 April 2020 Cry God for Harry, England and St George….and Shakespeare”
Times 27645 – one term or another
I took a gentle 29 minutes for this pleasant puzzle, parsing as I went along. There were no real unknowns, although 7d is not a word I’d often seen and 15d is a word that … Read more “Times 27645 – one term or another”
Times Quick Cryptic 1597 by Teazel
Apart from a couple of slightly unsatisfying clues in the downs (I’m looking at you 4 and 18), I found this a fair and enjoyable mid-week test. There are lots of clues with self-referential definitions … Read more “Times Quick Cryptic 1597 by Teazel”
Times Cryptic 27644
Solving time: 35 minutes. A much clearer run than yesterday with no unknown words or meanings, nor any other problems. As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} … Read more “Times Cryptic 27644”